I thought I was doing a lot better than last year, as to the number of books I've read...and then I looked up my 2019 Reading List Part 1. I'm only up four (22 instead of 18) and some of them don't really count as books, per se. I guess it just means I need to step it up the second half of 2020 if I hope to make my typical goal of 52 books a year!
My friend Katie (author of Once Upon a Pyne) put together a rating system that she uses on Goodreads. I asked her permission to steal it and have implemented it below.
Here is her (and now my) criteria:
⭐: the worst piece of garbage I’ve ever read ⭐⭐: overall bleh book, but some redeeming qualities
⭐⭐⭐: liked it, but wouldn’t read again
⭐⭐⭐⭐: liked it more and would read again
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: amazing and definitely should read again
- The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay ⭐⭐
- I can't say I was a fan of this one. It felt weird for the sake of weird and left too many questions unanswered. I'm ok with being confused as long as I eventually know what's going on...and I didn't feel "in the loop" by the end. - A Buffy+Angel Event: Hellmouth, Vol 1 of 5 by Joss Whedon, etc ⭐⭐⭐
- A Christmas gift from someone who knows I love Angel. 💓 Both this and the next one (Vol 1 & 2 in a 5 part series) are deviations from the TV shows, but were interesting reads. I'm not really a comic book person, but it's fun to see favorite character(s) come to life on the page. - A Buffy+Angel Event: Hellmouth, Vol 2 of 5 by Joss Whedon, etc ⭐⭐⭐
- When Life Gives You Lulumons by Lauren Weisberger ⭐⭐⭐
- This is a Devil Wears Prada novel. Apparently there are three in the series, though I've only read this and the original. It follows Emily, Emily Blunt's character, post-working for Miranda. If you like the first book and/or movie, it's a low investment, fun read. - Persuasion by Jane Austen ⭐⭐
- A friend decided to read all of Jane Austen's books this year, so they started a book club! I haven't read most of them since high school...maybe college?...so it's been fun rereading them. I didn't dislike Persuasion as much as I did when I first read it, but it's still nowhere near my favorite by Austen. - The Black Book by James Patterson ⭐⭐
- Typical Patterson fare. Has some interesting twists, though some feel forced. If you like his other books, this one's worth the read, though not a reread because the charm is lost once you know who did it. Other books (or movies, for that matter) are worth returning to even though you know the outcome...this isn't one of those. - The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- I love Ruth Ware. The first book of hers I read was "in a dark, dark wood." It's still my favorite, but this comes in close second. All her books are pretty dark and have some adult themes, but as long as you know what you're getting into, you should enjoy them. - Emma by Jane Austen (partly by book-book, finished by audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (the 4th star is for Mr. Knightley, my favorite Austen love interest 💕)
- I got on the audiobook bandwagon for this one. As mentioned above, I love Mr. Knightley. He's thoughtful, caring, intelligent and looks out for those in need. He's willing to call out Emma when she makes mistakes, but in a way that shows he holds her to a higher standard because he knows she's capable of achieving it. There are two great lines in the first chapter that describe Emma perfectly:Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
The real evils, indeed, of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments. The danger, however, was at present so unperceived, that they did not by any means rank as misfortunes with her.
Emma usually meant well, though her dislike of Jane for not being a gossipy hen was rather off putting (as a private introvert, lol). - The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (reread) ⭐⭐⭐
- I watched the garbage Amazon adaption of The Pale Horse (I wrote a mini review in March), which made me want to reread the book. Needless to say, it's much better. It's not Christie's best, but worth reading if you never have before. Do yourself a favor and skip the show (consider that ⭐'d). 😐 - The District (The Grey Edition) by Novel in a Day (My Edition) ⭐⭐
- This was an extra Novel in a Day, the "pandemic special." My chapter is 11. The strangest thing happened with Chapter 10 in this edition. I'm not sure if the author didn't read the criteria or was on some kind of hallucinogenic, but it makes no sense, particularly in context with the rest of the story. 😳 - The District (The Purple Edition) by Novel in a Day (Sam's Edition) ⭐⭐⭐
- Oddly Sam's version had the same chapter 4 as mine! His chapter is 12 (the final chapter). - The District (The Orange Edition) by Novel in a Day (Katie's Edition) ⭐⭐⭐
- Our chapters ended up lining up...Katie's was chapter 10, mine was 11 and Sam's was 12! 😊 - Stardust (the gift edition) by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐
- My first Neil Gaiman book! I bought the pretty edition...because I could. 😊 As you'd expect, it's a bit different than the movie (which I saw in a date in 2007! It's a funny story...feel free to ask me about it) - the book needed more about the lightning catchers and the movie needed the scene with the lion and unicorn. - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (audiobook) ⭐⭐
- I found an audiobook where the reader (Karen Savage) has enough of an accent to make it fun, but not so much that I couldn't understand her. 😄 For the book itself...again, not my favorite Austen. Fanny, with the exception of refusing to marry what's-his-bucket the turd butt, was so spineless and Edmund was such a...stuffed shirt. Bleh.
- Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay ⭐⭐
I have mixed feelings on this one. Parts were very interesting and tragic, but it kind of went off the rails. - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
- Also a good audiobook read by Karen Savage. I love and definitely identify with Elinor. I liked Marianne more this time that when I'd previously read it. Not a huge fan of Edward and agree with one of the other book club members that Alan Rickman, I mean, Colonel Brandon, should have ended up with Elinor. - Coraline by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐
- Sufficiently creepy. I remember not loving the movie, so I can safely say I liked the book better. - The Fall of Crazy House by James Patterson ⭐⭐
- Eh. I bought and read it because I read Crazy House. Definitely not worth reading if you hadn't read the first book. - Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐
- As you can see, I'm on a bit of a Gaiman kick. It's partly because I'm doing some of his Master Class writing assignments with two friends. I've posted them on here - Writing Exercise #1, Writing Exercise #2, Writing Exercise #3 and Writing Exercise #4. - Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐
- Ok...so, one of Gaiman's "things" is that he likes to do the unexpected and push boundaries (make himself/his readers uncomfortable). There have been a couple times when he's pushed more than he needed (Neverwhere had a couple of those moments), but in Snow, Glass, Apples (a retelling of the Snow White story), he not only crossed a couple of lines, but leapt over them with wild, unnecessary abandon. - The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐
- Another retelling, this time of Sleeping Beauty. It was interesting and the illustrations were pretty, but having read it, I don't know that I would do so again. - Ship of Theseus, a meta novel by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- This one is a bit of a cheat, because I haven't finished it yet. I started it at the beginning of the year, but given that it contains notes and inserts and all kinds of awesomeness, it must be opened and read slowly, lest parts fall out and go missing. It was a(n amazing) Christmas gift and like nothing else I own, so I plan to continue my careful traversing of its pages.
What are some of the best books you've read so far this year?
~ Katie Q. 🐧
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